Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-08-13

hib"No ,'Niy bou! NdS Oh nlB OF ttcif
feet and people were running through
the streets from all directions, all in
quiring where the fire was. When
the actual facts were learned
another alarm followed, which was
soon vigorously re-echoed by the bells
of all the churches in town. The peo-
pie made rush for the roads to Piper
City.
HORRIBLE PICTURE.
DR.. Vaughan, Of Chatsworth, was the
first TO appear on the scene. He was
seen 10y a reporter, and told briefly
what he saw. "When l arrived ! found
the greatest confusion, he said. "Hell
itself could not present more horrible
picture men and women fighting with
death and ready to clutch at a straw to
be saved. One man held his dead wife
and a dead little child in his arms,
while his own feet were broken and
caught IN the wreck. | relieved the un-
fortunate man OF his burden and helped
to drag him ont and bring him TO sleep
er. One of tie greatest misfortunes was
the fact that the wreck took place al
most in a desert. 1t was impossible TO
accord the wounded sufficient assist
ance. There were no ambulances, no.
thing to carry them on. They were
dragged and pushed, and this accounts
for the great number of people who
succumted to their wounds"
PRESIDENT LEOSARD's STATEMENT.
President T.. I. Leonard, of the To-
lido, Peoria and Western Company,
said TO reporter of the Times that he
bad made q careful but necessarily
brief investigation of the accident, and
could in no way account for it, unless
on the presumption that the bridge was
SGT on fire deliberately by fends for the
purpose of wrccking the train and rob
bing the passengers. 70 say that he
dcplorcd the accident but family ex-
pressed his feelings. President Leo
nard came from Springfield in the af-
ternoon, accompanied by Colonel John
Stephens, the general solicitor OF the
road. When the body OF Edwin f..
Adams was searched by one of bis
friends neither his pencil, book, nor his
gold watch and chain could be found.
Although he was known to have started
on the trip with large sum of money,
the only cash found on his person was
thirty dollars, which he had in the
watch-pocket of his trousers.
FEARFUL SCENES.
The horrors OF the wreck seemed
deepening early this morning instead
of lessening, added to the pitisble
spectacle of the dead md the miserics
OF the dying, stencil, sickeningly foul,
wssissuing from all the numerous places
where corp.es of the victims yet remain.
No picture of the horrible occurrences
immediately succeeding the accident
could equal in terrible details the
scene at the Toledo, Peoria and Western
depots here to-day. At the west end
of tho little structure is a coal-house
and lumber.room where, promiscuously
stretched on the floor in tho coal and
rubbish, were seven unidentified bodies.
Blood. stained, bedraggled sheets and
blankets were thrown loosely over
each, but afforded but little protection
from The swsrms of flies which were
continuously lowering over them. The
door emanating from the bodies effect
ualiy kept the room clear of all but the
hardest Of the slill ling. ring anxious Or
curious crOwss Two of the victims
were women, and the sight of their
faces wss one never to be forgotten.
THE WORK OF DEMONS.
Sensational features were developed
this morning as to the cause of the
wreck. RUmOrs were afloat last night
that it was due to robbers who fired
the bridge, but little credence was
given them. This morning new facts,
apparently showing the catastrophe to
be the work OF IN organized band, came
to light, and the company find them
worthy Of serious investigation. Su-
perintendont Armstrong said to an
Associated Press reporter that the more
he investigated the more itappeared to
him that the bridge had been set on
fire. The burned grass in its immedi-
ate locality was not of nature that
seemed likely to admit OF the bridge
catching from it.
TIE ROBBERS AT WORK.
Ee had observed many thieves at
work, and had stopped them while de-
spelling the wreck of property and
money. Instances of rObbingof the dead
were being brought to his attention.
The excursion had been extensively all
vcltised, and the time it would pass over
the bridge was well known. Citizens
say that gang of suspicious fellows
have been lettering around Chatsworth
for some days. Many OF these were
found early at the wreck, paying more
attention to relieving bodies OF their
valuables than to caring for them other
wise. 1rainmen and passengers had
frequent contention with the yandals.
In one instance Superintendent Arm
strong found wsll-known thief III the
depot.room where the property taken
from the wreck was stored. While the
people of the town have done al in their
power for the sufferers, there lisa horde OF
tramps and thieves in this vicinity who
do nothing but carry of anything they
can lay their hands on.
AN EYEWITNESS STORY.
En- eyewitness who reached the
wreck i'll the moraing says: The sight
OF the dead and wounded lying in the
adjacent fields was horrible. My friend
counted ninety seven dead bodies at
neon Yesterday, and the wreck was not
nearly cleared away. They were lying
in little heaps OF about Il dozen, oil
having been killed in a different man
Fer. Three fourths of the dead
never knew what killed them.
1t was a sight / never want to
Iook upon again. There were young
ladies in picnic dress, with their white
skirts saturated with blood and front
of their faces mashed beyond recOgni-
ton. One young looking mother had
her baby in her arms when a tmoer,
striking the child in the back, impaled
both victims in instant death. The
mothers face did not bear scratch,
Int the expression upon 1t will haunt
ne to the grave. l was sick when
returned from the catastrophe last
night. 1t would make any man sick,
Tie depot at Peoria was surrounded
by 5000 people, all waiting fol-
news from the wreck. The switch,
wards had been cleared of cars. and
perhaps a hundred covered wagon;
we're backed up to receive the wounded